A VIEW Of the PRINCIPAL DEISTICAL WRITERS THAT HAVE Appeared in ENGLAND in the WITH OBSERVATIONS upon them, AND SOME ACCOUNT of the ANSWERS that have In feveral LETTERS to a FRIEND. VOL. I. THE FOURTH EDITION. By JOHN LELAND, D. D. DON LONDON: Printed by W. RICHARDSON and S. CLARK, For R. and J. DODSLEY in Pall-Mall, and A VIEW of the DEISTICAL WRITERS, &c. In feveral LETTERS to a FRIEND. Some account of those that first took upon them the name of Deifts. Lord Herbert of Cherbury, one of the most eminent deiftical writers that appeared in England in the last age. His attempt to form Deifm into a Syftem. Obfervations upon his fcheme, and upon the five principles in which he makes all religion to confift. It is fhewn that the knowlege of them was very imperfect and defective in the heathen world; and that a revelation from God for clearing and confirming those important principles might be of great advantage. Dear Sir, I NOW enter upon the task you have injoined me, the giving fome account of the principal Deiftical writers that have appeared among us for above a century paft. The reasons given by you, and other judicious friends, have convinced me that fuch a work might be of ufe, if properly executed; we only differed as to the fitnefs of the perfon that was to execute it. My objections have been overruled; I must therefore fet about it as well as I can and if I were fure that others would look upon this attempt with the fame favourable eye, that your candour and friendship for me will incline you to do, I should be in no great pain about the fuccefs of it. VOL. I. B The The name of Deists, as applied to those who are no friends to revealed religion, is faid to have been first assumed about the middle of the fixteenth century, by fome Gentlemen in France and Italy, who were willing to cover their opposition to the Christian revelation by a more honourable name than that of Atheists. One of the firft authors, as far as I can find, that makes exprefs mention of them, is Viret, a divine of great eminence among the first Reformers, who in the epistle dedicatory prefixed to the fecond tome of his Inftruction Chretienne, which was published in 1563, speaks of fome persons in that time who called themselves by a new name, that of Deists. Thefe, he tells us, profeffed to believe a God, but fhewed no regard to Jefus Chrift, and confidered the doctrine of the apostles and evangelifts as fables and dreams. He adds, that they laughed at all religion, notwithstanding they conformed themselves, with regard to the outward appearance, to the religion of those with whom they were obliged to live, or whom they were defirous of pleafing, or whom they feared. Some of them, as he obferves, professed to believe the immortality of the foul; others were of the Epicurean opinion in this point, as well as about the providence of God with respect to mankind, as if he did not concern himself in the government of human affairs. He adds, that many among them fet up for learning and philofophy, and were looked upon to be perfons of an acute and fubtil genius; and that, not content to perish alone in their error, they took pains to spread the poison, and to infect and corrupt others, by their impious discourses, and bad examples a. I leave it to you to judge, how far the account this learned author gives of the perfons that in his time called themselves Deifts, is applicable to those among us who take upon them the fame title, and which they feem to prefer to that of Christians, by which the difciples of Jefus have hitherto thought it their glory to be diftinguished. That which properly characterizes thefe Deifts is, that they reject all revealed religion, and discard all pretences to it, as owing to imposture, or enthusiasm. In this they all agree, and in profeffing a regard for natural religion, though they are far from being agreed in their notions of it. They are claffed by fome of their own writers into two forts, mortal and immortal Deifts b. The latter acknowlege a future ftate, the former deny it, or at least represent it as a very • See Bayle's dictionary, article Viret. reafon, 1, P. 99. b Oracles of uncertain uncertain thing. And though these are, by fome among themfelves, represented under a very difadvantageous character, and as little better than Atheists, they are, it is to be feared, the more numerous of the two. And indeed fome of their most eminent modern writers seem to be very easy about these differences. With them all are true Deifts who oppofe revelation, whether they own future rewards or punishments or not. And they speak with great regard of those difinterested Deifts, who profefs to pursue virtue for its own fake, without regard to future retributions". In giving an account of the deistical writers that have appeared in these nations (for I fhall not meddle with those of a foreign growth), I fhall go back to the former part of the last century: and the first I shall mention, and who deferves a particular notice, is that learned nobleman, Lord Edward Herbert, Baron of Cherbury. He may be juftly regarded as the most eminent of the deistical writers, and in feveral respects fuperior to those that fucceed him. He may be alfo confidered as the first remarkable Deift in order of time, that appeared among us as a writer in the last century. For the first edition of his book de Veritate was in 1624, when it was published at Paris. afterwards published at London, as was alfo his book de Caufis errorum, to which is fubjoined his treatise de Religione Laici. Some years after this, and when the author was dead, his celebrated work de Religione Gentilium was published at Amfterdam, in 1663, in Quarto, and it was afterwards reprinted there in 1700, Octavo, which is the edition I make ufe of; and an English translation of it was published at London in 1705. His lordship feems to have been one of the first that formed Deism into a System, and afferted the fufficiency, univerfality, and abfolute perfection, of natural religion, with a view to discard all extraordinary revelation, as useless and needlefs. He feems to affume to himself the glory of having accomplished it with great labour, and a diligent infpection into all religions; and applauds himself for it, as happier than any Archimedes'. This univerfal religion he reduceth to five articles, which he fre quently mentioneth in all his works. 1. That there is one fupreme God. 2. That he is chiefly to be worshipped. 3. That piety and virtue is the principal part of his worship. 4. That we must repent of our fins; and if we do fo, God will pardon them. 5. That there are rewards for good men, and See Chriftianity as old as the Creation, p. 332, 333. ed. 8vo. De Relig. Gent. cap. 15. init. |